Patterned textile material



Feb. 15, 1949. a. L. HUNTER ET AL. 2,461,603

PA'II'TERNEB TEXTILE MATERIAL "Filed July 14, 1944 I is 1| 1 I lllllmll INVENTORSQ ROBERT LEE HUNTER RALPH CRAMER.

7 ATTORNEYS.

fatented 1 5 194 OFFICE PATTERNED TEXTILE MATERIAL Robert Lee Hunter and Cumberland, Md., alssi Ralph Denfzel Cramer, gnors to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application July 14, 1944, Serial No. 544,948

This invention relates to the production of decorative fabrics and relates more particularly to the production of ornamental or patterned fabrics made of or containing yarns having a basis of a thermoplastic organic material such as, for example, synthetic linear polyamide condensation products, polymerized vinyl compounds, or cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of cellulose.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved process for the production of patterned effects on thermoplastic materials, for example,

cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of cellulose fabrics by printing processes.

Another object of this invention is the production of ornamental, printed cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of cellulose fabrics wherein the patterned effects are permanent and highly resistant to the effects of washing, dry

cleaning and ironing.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an improved process for the production of dyed, ornamental, patterned fabrics, especially fabrics of cellulose acetate or other organic deri vative of cellulose material wherein the dyestuff is padded on to the fabric and the fabric orna-' mented in a single operation.

Other objects of this invention will appear from I the following detailed description and the ac-- in relief and intaglio fashion and, under heat and pressure, the thermoplastic fabric is actually subjected to a molding operation. To aid this embossing or molding operation, it has been proposed to treat the fabrics with plasticizing or softening agents prior to embossing. Such embossing oper ations produce textured or sculptured three-dimensional designs on the fabric which, while attractive, are impractical since the fabrics cannot be ironed-without injury to the design. Another disadvantage lies in the fact that these embossed fabrics do not drape and tailor as well as the usual-types of fabrics since the embossed design 1 Claim. (Cl. 8-17) and the process for producing the same have a stiffening action on the fabric.

We have now discovered that patterned, ornamental fabrics of excellent draping qualities and in which the design is permanently resistant to washing and cleaning may be produced by a novel printing process. In accordance with our invention these patterned fabrics are produced by immersing a fabric of yarns of a synthetic linear polyamide condensation product, polymerized vinyl compounds, or cellulose acetate or other or ganic derivative'of cellulose in a bath containing ing an organic agent having at least a softening and swelling action on said material, and, while said fabric is in a partially swollen condition, passing the fabric between a pair of unheated or cold rolls, one of which is smooth and the other of which is engraved intaglio fashion with the desired design. .The fabric becomes locally delustered on the'surface at those areas within the borders of the engraved design where obviously the rolls exert little or no pressure on the fabric.

A pleasing, permanently patterned fabric is pro' duced by this novel operation which forms on the fab-rica delustered design at those areas of relatively little pressure reproducing the engraved intaglio pattern-of the roller.

The bath employed in surface printing the fabrics in accordance with our invention may contain any suitable agent having at least a swelling or softening action on the thermoplastic materials. As examples of suitable agents having a swelling or softening action on cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of cellulose materials there may be mentioned the lower aliphatic alcohols, such as ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol; butyl a1- cohol, amyl alcohol, and the various secondary and tertiary isomers of butyl and amyl alcohol.

Other agents which may be employed are aliphatic acids, such as, acetic acid and propionic acid, ketones, such as acetone or methyl ethyl ketone which are also softening or swelling agents for polymerized vinyl derivatives. Mixtures of these various alcohols, acids, and ketones are also suitable. Halogenated hydrocarbons such as chloroform, methylchloride, ethylene dichloride and mixtures of these halogenated hydrocarbons with methyl or ethyl alcohols are also satisfactory. Suitable softening'agents for the treatment of synthetic linear polyamide condensation products are} for example, phenol, meta-cresol, o-toluidine and benzidine. These swelling or softening agentsmay be employed solution where water-soluble,

or in solution j new '3 any other inert organic liquid having no appreciable swelling or solvent action on the cellulose acetate or other thermoplastic materials. The amount of the organic swelling or softening agents in the bath employed will vary, depending upon the degree of swelling or softening action desired. Preferably, when treating cellulose acetate materials, we employas a. swelling or softening agent, aqueous solutions of 'ethyl' alcohol containing 33.5"t 90% of alcohol or aqueous solutions of acetic acid containing from 33.5-

up to 60 or 70% of acetic acid. The treatingbath may be employed at temperaturesbf'fl" to 7 8 0.,

depending on the freezing point of theswelling agent but room temperatures -arelusually. pre ferred.

Our novel printing process is not only suitable for the production of patterned fabrics-'made'of or containing any textile yarns or filaments ,but;

especially advantageous: results are obtained where it is employed for simultaneuosly dyeing and printing cellulose acetate or other organic derivative of celluloseffabrics. By dissolving a suitable dyestuif in the bath and then passing the liquor-laden fabric between a smooth roller and an engravedroller, the fabric is not only,

dyed rapidly but is printed as well.

The dyestuffs employed may be acid dyes which are used for the dyeing of wool and normally show little orno amnity for organic derivatives of cellulose or the dyes may be those relatively water-insoluble dyes which are normally,

applied to organic derivative of cellulose materials in solubilized, dispersed form. Vat dye-v stuffs in the form of their leuco sulphuric acid esters are also satisfactory. Preferably, we em ploy direct dyeing dyestuffs which yield their ultie lose butyrate, mixed esters, such as, cellulose acetate-propionate, and cellulose acetate-Dutyrate while examples of cellulose ethers are, ethyl cellulose and benzyl cellulose. The polymerized yinyl compounds which may be printed in accordance with ournovel process are, for example,

.. polymerized vinyl chloride, polymerized vinyl acetate or copolymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl mate shade on the material being dyed directly,

without any pro-treatment or after-treatment designed to effect a chemical change in the structure of the dyestuff or in the material being dyed. The dyebath may contain from 0.1 to of dyestuff based on the weight of the material dependingupon the shade desired in the material being dyed and printed.

Our novel process may be carried out in a continuous manner, the fabric being passed into a suitable. vessel containing the desired treating liquid and then passed directly to the rollers, one of which is smooth and the other of which is engraved... The usual type .of padding mangle maybe employed, one of thepadding rollers being removed andreplacedby a roller engraved with the desired pattern. ,Either the upper or the lower. roller of thepadding mangle may be replaced. In lieu of an-engraved roller, a sandblasted .roller may be employed to yield an all-. over delustered effect, or a pair of smooth rollers maybe employed and an all-.over efiect achieved by a sheet of paper or a textured fabric or. other suchiweb of textured material ca-rriedby one of the rollers, the-web contacting the surface of the fabric being processed and effecting a delus-'-- and is subjected to the nipping action or the pres sure of the rollers, the fabric is then passed through a vessel containing water or other solvent for the swelling or softening agent present on the material. During its passage through the latter vessel, the organic swelling or softening agent isextracted from the fabric and the dyed acetate. Synthetic linear polyamide condensation products which maylbe so treated are those derived from the condensation products of'diamines with dicarboxylic acids known generically as nylon. The fabrics may contain yarns or fila ments of other textile materials which are 'not affected by the solvent or swelling action'of the dyebath, and novel and decorative effects maytbaproduced, wherein 0nly.the organicderivative of" cellulose materials arepatterned by the actionof the engraved roller. By the incorporation of dyestuffs, having an aflinity for the 1other =textile materials, solid or cross-dyed" effects -may be produced.

In order to illustrate our invention; but with out being limited thereto, the following examples 1 are given:

Example I Adyebath is prepared by dissolving 2 parts by.- weight of Celliton Fast Navy Blue 3 (methylated r -tetra-amino-anthraquinone) in 68 par-ts by weight of alcohol and 30 parts by weightof-water.

The-dyebath, indicated-by reference numeralf in the drawing, is contained in a suitable vessel 2, provided with a spigot S and having a guide 2 roller 5 fastened to the-base of said vessel 2 at a point below. the surface of the dye liquor-L A cellulose acetate fabric 5, taken-from a"roll-6, is passed into the dyebath and ledbeneathroller 4..- The fabric moves in-the directionshown by? the arrows. After leaving the-vessel L-thefabric is partly drained as it moves along lip 'l of vessel 2 and is then passed between smooth roller 8 and engraved roller 9. Roller 9 is substituted for the bottom roller of the 'usualpadding mangle. Rollers Band 9 are drivenby -sultable means (not shown) and the fabric 5 after-leav ing the nip of rollers 8 and c "ispassed'into :a second vessel l8 containing water. The-fabric is passed under guide roller H; over a 'guide'rolleri i2 and'then under guide roller l3 before: leaving'z': the vessel. The alcohol is extracted from tlr fabric by'the water in the vessel l9 and thei fabr i is thentaken up in the form'ofaroll orbolt 14.x Vessel l8 is provided with a 'spi'got 'l5 by moane of which the Water may 'be' circulated 'co'ntin'u ously or intermittentlyto insure proper extrac-" tion; and recovery :of the alcohol." WhiIe' th'e fabric may be taken .up in the form of"roll 'or-: bolt 25 as shown it' mayg'of cours'e gbepassed andprintedpatterned fabric is then washed and finished-as desired; Our novel process may be carried out rapidly and the fabric maybe dyed ment. The operation effe'c'ts" a-" simultaneous dyeing and printing of thefab'r'idand thd-effect" produced is substantially 'similar to that-obtain" in '-fabrics' woven on -'a Jacquard type' ofilobm. The patternedefiect is permanently resi'staintfitd Example II Employing an aqueous bath comprising 50% by weight of acetone and treating a cellulose acetate fabric of a twill weave in accordance with the process of Example I, an attractively patterned fabric is obtained.

While our invention produces the most striking and attractive results when treating fabrics of a satin Weave, fabrics of other weaves such as for example, ninon, tricot or twill weaves may be printed in similar fashion and very attractive results may be produced, particularly where said fabrics contain bright or lustrous yarns.

The terms unheated and cold, as applied to the cylindrical surface referred to in the specification and claims for applying pattern effects to the fabrics, are to be construed as meaning surfaces which are at room or atmospheric temperature, i. e. about 20 C.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Process for the production of dyed and patterned fabrics, the pattern of which is delineated by lustrous and substantially lusterless areas, which comprises immersing a fabric havinga basis of a cellulose acetate material in a solution consisting of 2 parts by weight of a dyestuff for the cellulose acetate material 68 parts by weight of a lower aliphatic alcohol and 30 parts by weight of Water, and subjecting the wetted mate" rial while in a swollen condition to pressure between a pair of unheated rotating, cylindrical surfaces, one of which surfaces is smooth and the other of which is engraved in the desired pattern.

ROBERT LEE HUNTER. RALPH DENZEL CRAMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,716,255 Woodman June 4, 1929 1,744,829 Dreyfus Jan. 28, 1930 1,839,045 Dreyfus Nov. 29, 1932 1,889,061 Dickie Nov. 29, 1932 1,889,062 Dreyfus Nov. 29, 1932 1,947,928 Beck Feb. 20, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number 7 Country Date 407,137 Great Britain Mar. 15, 1934 France Apr. 3, 1914 

